Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, announced on Tuesday that he had received an invitation to China and that his administration had informed Washington, D.C., about the trip.
Netanyahu Invited to China With US-Israel Ties: The declaration comes amid strained relations between Israel and the US after US President Joe Biden declined to extend an invitation for Netanyahu to visit the US following the Israeli leader’s reelection in November.
According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, “the anticipated visit will be Prime Minister Netanyahu’s fourth visit to China,” adding that “the American administration was updated one month ago.”
According to the report, the premier also disclosed the trip to a cross-partisan congressional delegation, telling them that “the US will always be Israel’s most vital and irreplaceable ally.”
When contacted by AFP, a spokesman for Netanyahu was unable to give any additional information about the trip or an estimated date for when it will take place.
There have been disputes over the Biden administration’s persistent calls for a two-state solution with the Palestinians and criticism of Netanyahu’s settlement growth.
He came back to power in December in a coalition with hardline settlers and extreme right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish friends, including members of his own Likud party.
Peace talks between Israel and Palestine have remained inactive since 2014.
Additionally, after failed mediation efforts, Biden urged Netanyahu to negotiate a compromise on his divisive legal reforms, which opponents have branded a threat to democracy and which the government has promised to push forward.
China has been on the diplomatic offensive in the Middle East, helping to mediate the rapprochement of Iran and Saudi Arabia in March despite the fact that they are bitter adversaries in a region where Washington has long served as the principal diplomatic power broker.
Mahmud Abbas, the leader of Palestine, paid a visit to China earlier this month, and in April, Qin Gang, the foreign minister of China, spoke by phone with leading Israeli and Palestinian diplomats to offer Beijing’s support in facilitating peace talks.
Last week, top US diplomat Antony Blinken paid a rare visit to Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping claimed to have observed progress in the country’s tense relations with the US.